Friday, October 30, 2020

Purity: Toysmith S1014B Building Bricks Tiny Train (Yellow Engine) Review

This is a set of clone bricks that was brought to my attention on the Discord.  Toysmith is one of those aggregate companies that sell tons of different toys.


Box.  MSRP at Target is $1.00 for this which gives us a $0.03 Price per Piece.




Instructions & Stickers. 





Parts.  Click Scoops, Bricks, Axle Plates, Plates, 2x3 Offset
Studless Slope, Hinge Plates, Bar Plates, Brackets, Cheese
Slopes, Double Sided Clip Plate, Wheels, and Round Bricks.




Build.  Frame (2Rh+d8).
 
The Questions:
Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  Below.  (+5)  (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?  No.  (-5)
Score: +10 (A-).  This one has a few more interesting parts than the last two.

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Purity: Toysmith S1014D Building Bricks Tiny Train (Blue Engine) Review

 This is a set of clone bricks that was brought to my attention on the Discord.  Toysmith is one of those aggregate companies that sell tons of different toys.


Box.  MSRP at Target is $1.00 for this which gives us a $0.03 Price per Piece.


Instructions & Stickers. 




Parts.  Brick, Plates, 2x3 Offset Studless Slopes, Round Tile, Axle Plates, Bar Plates, Round Plates, Wheels, Brackets, Cheese Graters, Tile Clips, and Double Sided Clip Plate.









Build.  Another Attack Cart with multiple mounting points.


The Questions:
Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  Below.  (+5)  (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?  No.  (-5)
Score: +10 (A-).  I really like all the Medium Azure parts in this set.

Monday, October 26, 2020

Purity: Toysmith S1014C Building Bricks Tiny Train (Green Engine) Review

This is a set of clone bricks that was brought to my attention on the Discord.  Toysmith is one of those aggregate companies that sell tons of different toys.


Box.  MSRP at Target is $1.00 for this which gives us a $0.03 Price per Piece.

Instructions & Stickers. 





Parts.  Plates, Offset 2x3 Studless Slope, Round Tiles, Axle Plates, Round Tiles, Grille Tile, Slopes, Brackets, Wheels, Bar Plates, Tiles, Clip Tile, and Double Sided Clip Plate.








Build.  Attack Cart with two Attachment mounting points.

The Questions:
Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio?  Below.  (+5)  (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away?  Yes.  (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts?  No.  (-5)
Score: +10 (A-).  Not a bad little set for the money.

Friday, October 23, 2020

Single Shot Rockets 2

My initial post -- six years ago -- talking about the different ways you could make Single Shot Rockets seemed to be pretty popular -- and there's been some chatter about SSRs on the Discord -- so I'm taking another stab at it.

Only four designs this time.


This one is pure Kre-O.




The SSR for my Blue
Devils Chub squad.







This one's kinda funky, but
it does stand out nicely.


The SSR for my Hopper squad.
You can see it's been changed
between this and the initial photo.




I figured, this time around, that full pictures of the frames and the SSRs
will give you a better idea of how they integrate with the frames.


Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Review: 11007 Creative Green Bricks

One of the new, small Creative sets for 2020.


Box.  MSRP is $4.99 for a $0.08 Price per Piece.  As you can see
I bought it on markdown which gives a $0.07 Price per Piece.

Instructions.



Parts 1.  Round Bricks, Turntable Base, Turntable Top, Round Large Jumper, Mod. Plate 3x2 w/Hole, Plates, Bar Plates, + Plate, Jumpers, Large Cheese Slope, Round Plates, Flower Plates, Printed Round Tiles, Slopes, Bricks, New Headlight Bricks, 1x2 Brick w/Studs on Side, Curved Slope 2x1x1.3 w/Recessed Stud, Minifig Apple, and Cheese Slopes.

Parts 2.  Plates, Bricks, Slopes, and Inverted Slopes.





Build.  A Station and a Frame.





The Questions:
Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away? Yes. (+5)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio? Below. (+5) (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away? Yes. (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts? Yes. (+5)
Score: +20 (A+).  There's some good stuff here, just not in enough quantities.

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Monday, October 19, 2020

Review: 30549 Build Your Own Vehicle Polybag

 I got this as a free giveaway this weekend at my local Lego Store.


Bag.  I'm not sure what the price is supposed to be
so I'm saying $4.99 for a $0.08 Price per Piece.


Instructions.



Parts.  Plates, Tile w/Pin, Propeller, 1x2 Brick w/Studs on Both Sides, Steering Wheels, Mod. Plate w/Long Stud Receptacle,  Studless Slopes, Bar Plates, Clip Plates, Brackets, Jumpers, Tiles, Truncated Cone, Grille Tiles, Cheese Slopes, Round Plates, Clip Tiles, Levers & Bases, Corner Bricks, Taps, and Round Bricks.


Build.  Hoverframe.



The Questions:
Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away? Yes. (+5)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio? Below. (+5) (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away? Yes. (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts? Yes. (+5)
Score: +20 (A+).  A good selection of parts but, the color quantities are a little odd.

Friday, October 16, 2020

Review: Gundam Micro Wars MSM-07S Char's Z'Gok

This is a different type of Gundam model than the Converge or Gunpla sets.  I initially thought there was some sort of rule set connected to this due to the name.  This is one of the releases from the third wave.


Box.  I paid $7.99 at Barnes & Noble for this.


Instructions.  Inside the box.




Parts & Stickers.  This stuff comes on sprues!


Disassembled.  As you can see, the torso has a cockpit for a figure. 
Which isn't included.  The eye has a little slider inside the housing
so you can move it.  The claws could be Melee or Spotting.


Assembled.

Size Comparison.
The Questions:
Is it below, at, or above $10 per Frame?  Below.  (+5)

Is it a good size to use in a game?  Yes.  In between a Chub and a Classic.  (+5)
How many parts does it have to represent systems?  Two.  (0)
Does it have enough parts you can remove to represent White Dice damage?  Yes.  (+5)
Score: +15 (A+).  It's a decent start.  I'll have to review more to form a better opinion.

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Review: Gundam Converge GX9901-DX Gundam Double X (218)

 Found a few more Gundam Converge kits at Barnes & Noble, so let's give them a shakedown.


Box.  I paid $8.99 at Barnes & Noble for this.




Parts.








Disassembled.  The head vanes could be Spotting.  The headcould be Defense or Spotting.  The cannons could be Artillery.  The backpack vanes could be Movement or Spotting.  The arm pauldrons could be Melee or Defense.  The gun could be Direct Fire.  The backpack could be Defense, Movement, or Spotting




Assembled.




Size Comparison.

The Questions:
Is it below, at, or above $10 per Frame?  Below.  (+5)

Is it a good size to use in a game?  Yes.  In between a Chub and a Classic.  (+5)
How many parts does it have to represent systems?  Four.  (+5)
Does it have enough parts you can remove to represent White Dice damage?  Yes.  (+5)
Score: +20 (A+). One of the few sets that has obvious Artillery attachments.

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Review: Gundam Converge F90III-Y Cluster Gundam (222)

Found a few more Gundam Converge kits at Barnes & Noble, so let's give them a shakedown.


Box.  I paid $8.99 at Barnes & Noble for this.




Parts.





Disassembled.  The vane could be Spotting.  The head could be Defense or Spotting.  The gun could be Direct Fire, Artillery, or Spotting.  The shield could be Defense.  The backpack could be Defense, Movement, or Spotting.  The backpack wings could be Defense, Movement, or Spotting.  The arms or hands could removed for White Dice.


Assembled.







Size Comparison.

The Questions:
Is it below, at, or above $10 per Frame?  Below.  (+5)

Is it a good size to use in a game?  Yes.  In between a Chub and a Classic.  (+5)
How many parts does it have to represent systems?  Four.  (+5)
Does it have enough parts you can remove to represent White Dice damage?  Yes.  (+5)
Score: +20 (A+).  A fairly nice looking example of a Gundam.

Friday, October 9, 2020

Review: 76073 Mighty Micros Wolverine vs Magneto

 I'm digging back into the backlog again, this is my last Mighty Micro set for the moment.


Box.  MSRP was $9.99 for this which gives us a $0.12 Price per Piece.

Instructions. 



Minifigs.  The Magneto head is double sided.





Parts 1.  Axle Plates, Inverted Slope w/Cutout, Wedge Plates, Tires,
Curved Slopes 2x1x1.3 w/Recessed Stud, Bar Tile, Minifig Steering
Wheel, Mudguards, Truncated Cone, Brick, Flags, and Brackets.

 





Parts 2.  Plates, Dishes, Bar Plates, Rims, Printed Large Cheese
Slopes, Large Cheese Slope, Round Tiles, Tiles, Studless Slopes,
Cheese Slopes, Studs w/Bar, Brackets, Bricks, and Cones.





Build.  Battle carts.

 


The Questions:
Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away? Yes. (+5)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio? Above. (-10) (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away? Yes. (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts? Yes. (+5)
Score: +5 (B+).  The builds are a little rough but can be a foundation for something better.

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Review: 76071 Mighty Micros Spiderman vs. Scorpion

I'm digging back into the backlog, and trying to work with the new Blogger system to do some reviews. 


Box.  MSRP is $9.99 for this which gives us a $0.13 Price per Piece.
Clearance PpP was $0.07.
Instructions. 


Minifigs.  That Scorpion Tail piece might be useful at some point.





Parts 1.  Axle Plates, Inverted Slopes w/Cutout, Tires, Tiles,
Plates, Clip Plate, Minifig Steering Wheels, Mudguard Plate, Air
Scoop, Bar 1x4x2 w/Studs, Exo-Force Arms, and a Bracket.

 




Parts 2.  Minifig Helmet Horns, Plate w/Arm Up, Rims, Apollo Studs, Round Plates, Round Tiles, Clip Plates, Panel, Studless Slopes, Grille Tiles, Plate, Jumpers, Bar Clips, Bracket, Large Cheese Slope, and Ice Cream Cones.






Build.  Missile Cart (SSRx2) and Ram Cart (2Rh+d8).


The Questions:
Can you build something -- a frame, station, or starship -- right away? Yes. (+5)
Is it below, at, or above the golden ratio? Above. (-10) (The Golden Ratio is $0.10 per part.)
If you can't build a frame right away, or choose not to, does it have parts you should be able to put into use right away? Yes. (+5)
Does it have more than a handful of immediately useful parts? Yes. (+5)
Score: +5 (B+).  The builds are a little rough but can be a foundation for something better.